AUTONEWS

MERCEDES-MAYBACH SUV IS PRESENTED

The latest information indicates that in the next edition of the Beijing Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz will unveil a new concept anticipating a luxury SUV positioned above the new GLS. This model is already being developed and will be named Mercedes-Maybach 9, a bet that will take as a base the new generation of the largest SUV in the line of passenger models of the star brand, and according to some sources, may reach the market in April 2019.The arrival in the market of models such as Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan from next year was what led the German brand to give the green light to this new model, which will have no major differences compared to the new GLS in development. Just imagine the front end with the luxury sedan grille displayed at the Geneva Motor Show with thin chrome vertical bars and double M emblems on the hood and rear pillars along with a two-tone paintwork and a longer wheelbase elongated.Autocar's Britons point out that the future model will be able to emerge at the Los Angeles Hall to be celebrated in November - deadlines that fit, as the new generation of GLS will come out in November - and will leave the same assembly line than the other Mercedes-Benz SUVs at the American plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.If the Mercedes-Maybach 9 really follow for production, this supercharged SUV will be equipped with the 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo engine used in the Mercedes-AMG models and the Mercedes-Maybach S 560 for the Maybach GLS 560 version, boasting deactivation of cylinders and 48-volt technology, plus a hybrid plug-in version with the new in-line six-cylinder engine and 3.0-liter biturbo coupled with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery which, instead of offering autonomy in mode will double that number.